The Happily Ever After
by NancyRoth
Summary: Now a full year after Bella's transformation, she charges bravely into her greatest struggle yet: college. But to assume that her studies will be the worst of her worries may be naive...
1. Preface

**Author's Note**

_This is my first fan fiction, and for a series I never thought I would even delve into, being a 19 year old male. But once I picked up Twilight, I didn't put down Stephanie Meyer's books until I had finished Breaking Dawn. I guess you could say I was—and still am—obsessed. _

_This fan fiction is from the point of view of Bella (at least for now) and represents what I believe might happen after the conclusion of Breaking Dawn. As everyone has their own vision of how to continue a story, please don't be mad if this does not represent your thoughts on Bella and Edwards eternal lives. That said, feel free to PM me with comments, suggestions, or criticisms, and as always reviews are wonderful. Thanks for your time, and enjoy!_

**Preface**

_Bella_

"You don't seriously think that I'll let you leave this house wearing that, now do you?" I could tell that Alice was talking to me as she flew down the stairs. I was hopeful I could sneak out of the house in my comfortable ensemble of baggy sweats, but she always took the time to play dress-up with me before an important occasion. "This won't do at all. I thought you would make better use of your stocked closet, but apparently I was mistaken."

"Alice, it's just a plane ride. I don't need to-" But I couldn't finish my sentence, as she rushed me off to the cottage in the woods behind the Cullen's house.

"Yes you do. This is an important occasion, and you need to be dressed properly for it." She had already shoved me in front of a mirror and was dancing back and forth between myself and the closet. I didn't think that flying to New Hampshire was a huge deal, but apparently I was wrong. She frowned at me, as if reading my mind. "Look, Bella. You may not think that moving off to college is a special occasion, but this is your first year! This is all about you now, and don't you forget that." Great, since I absolutely adore being the center of attention.

"I suppose you're right." I said, in attempt to appease her. Once she made her mind up, there was no changing it. "But this isn't just about me. Jacob needs some time away from the pack, and this gives him the perfect excuse. I'm still not sure how I feel about the way he's leaving his brothers behind."

"He'll be fine, and so will they." She assured me. "All he wants is to make Renesmee happy, and his pack is more than willing to let him leave to fulfill his wishes. There, all done!" She smiled and stepped back from the mirror, admiring her handiwork. I wondered if she was ever going to trust me to dress myself.

"Thanks Alice. Now let's go, before we're late." She nodded in agreement and we ran back to the house.

Everything was already packed up and ready to go, as far as I could tell. Edward said that the Cullens never seemed to take much with them when they moved around before, and the trend seemed to be continuing. I assumed the plan was to buy everything we needed once we arrived, though they already owned a house in the woods near Hanover. I guess all we would need would be a bed for Renesmee and school supplies for Dartmouth.

Dartmouth. I still can't believe Edward talked me into actually going, but I guess it made sense. With an eternity to live, you might as well attend college at some point in time, and it would be easier to get that out of the way while it was still expected of someone my age. Or at least, that was his reasoning. It gave me an excuse to do something that would make Charlie and Mom proud too, which was my primary reason.

"Are you ready Bella?" I heard a smooth voice call out to me, almost in a whisper. I still expected my heart to skip a beat every time I heard Edward's voice, but my transformation took care of that. He and Renesmee were standing next to Edward's Volvo, ready to depart with the rest of the family. I ran over to him and in less than a second we were in each other's arms. He kissed me quickly, though I didn't want to let it go so soon. Anything more and Emmett would unleash the onslaught of jokes. Unfortunately my strength faded faster than I would have liked, and he wound up winning an arm wrestling match.

"As ready as I'm going to be." I said softly as I stepped around the already-open door to the driver's seat. He wasn't so opposed to my driving now that I had learned how to pick up the speed. I looked around, expecting to see someone else. "Is he going to be here soon?"

"He's putting his clothes on now." He laughed. "Jacob wouldn't miss this, he's excited to be coming with us."

"Wait for me, guys!" Jacob shouted from the edge of the trees. He was hopping up and down on one foot trying to get his other shoe on. Renesmee giggled at his display. Once the shoe was on, he sprinted over to our car. "Sorry to cause a holdup, I'm not too late am I?"

"Just in time, Jacob. Get in the-" Edward started, but Jacob threw open the door and climbed in the back seat next to Renesmee, tickling her cold, hard skin as he closed the door behind him.

I started the engine and got ready to pull out of the drive. I took one last look at my family's home, as this was likely to be the last time I was going to see it for quite some time. It was going to be strange living in a new house. Hopefully it wouldn't take too long to get used to.

I took a moment to think about what we were leaving behind, here in Forks. This town had been my home for what seemed like ages now, even though I never really felt at home until after my rebirth into my new family. I felt bad leaving the wolf pack behind, and to be taking Jake away from them. I felt like I was abandoning Charlie, too, but my dad found a great companion in Sue Clearwater. At least I wouldn't be leaving him to fend for himself at mealtime.

"Everyone ready to go now? I'm dying to hit the road already!" Emmett was almost cheering from the Jeep in front of us. He was all too excited to get a change of scenery, being too rowdy to ever enjoy being in one place for too long. Rosalie was sitting next to him, with most of the family's luggage in the back seat.

"Ready when you are!" Alice called from behind us, looking delighted from the driver's seat of her beautiful yellow Porsche. Jasper took the seat next to her, looking almost bored as he waited for the rest of the family to get ready to leave.

"We're set to leave now, Emmett. Feel free to lead the way." Carlisle noted as he climbed into the front of his Mercedes, pecking Esme with a kiss as he closed the door. They were bringing up the rear of our little family caravan.

I began the mental checklist, to ensure that I hadn't forgotten anything. I'd already loaded my small suitcase into the back of Emmett's Jeep, everyone that was riding with me was in Edward's car, and I'd already said goodbye to Charlie. I threw my hand out the window to give Emmett a thumbs up, but as I looked up he was already speeding out of the driveway. I hit the gas hard and lurched forward.

Edward looked at me, trying to get a read on my thoughts. I saw him glance over and lifted my mental shield, as I'd learned to do out of habit. It was always easier when he could just pop into my head at will, and I knew he liked it better that way.

"You're nervous about leaving everything behind?" He questioned quietly.

"A little bit. Mostly about Charlie, and the wolf pack." My other friends were almost inconsequential compared to the rest of my strange family. I never really worried about them.

"I promise you everything is going to be fine. Alice has seen us, happy in our new house. Try not to worry." He flashed me a quick smile, and everything felt better.

"I can't promise that I won't worry, but I'll never bet against Alice. Thanks Edward." I smiled back at him.

"Are you ready for your first year at college?"

I shrugged. "I'm not sure yet."

"I know you don't see the point of learning, since we will live for eternity. But I promise you that college will be good for you, at least the first time through. It gets tedious every time after that."

"Then you don't have to go through it with me again. This is what, your fourth time?" I didn't want him to feel burdened, but I knew what his response would be.

"Of course I have to go with you, I can't stand to leave you alone. Besides, I don't have to pay attention to the classes, I can just watch you and help you out." I had already forgotten that he signed us up for all of the same classes for our first semester. We were only taking 12 semester-hours, a relatively light load considering that we didn't have to sleep.

I looked in the rear-view mirror at Jacob and Renesmee. She had her hand on his cheek, obviously telling him something through her unique method of communication. Jacob laughed at whatever she was showing him, and she giggled along with him. It put my worried mind to rest seeing them so happy like that.

I took a deep breath, and let out a sigh of relief. "Alright then," I said through a smile. "I guess I am ready. To Dartmouth."


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's Note**

Don't expect chapters to usually come this frequently. I just happened to have a very slow day at work today, so I was able to pound out this full chapter while I sat around. Also, this may or may not be the representative length that I would prefer for the chapters. Most will likely be longer, some will undoubtedly be shorter. But I will never update with only a few hundred words or anything like that. I feel as though that's a waste of time.

Also, I'll try not to make a habit of having too many author's notes. I feel like they clutter the page, but this is the only way I can really communicate with my readers outside of the story. Oh well, such is life.

**Chapter 1**

We arrived at the airport nearly an hour before our flight. We all parked our cars next to a large vehicle shipping truck. Carlisle had arranged to have the family's most expensive possessions shipped to our new home. They wouldn't be there before we would, but he assured me that he had a sufficient selection of transportation options waiting in the new house's garage. Carlisle handed two men a large sum of cash and walked back over to meet up with the rest of us. The two shippers stared at him in surprise, leading me to assume that he tipped them a rather large amount.

"Let's not be late, everyone." He said softly as we all walked towards the airport. We moved through security quickly, by airport standards, and boarded our plane a few minutes early. The family all sat together on the right side of the plane.

"Is this your first flight, Bella?" Edward asked calmly. I was very confused at this question, as I'd traveled often as a child, and he had even taken a trip with me to see Renee in Jacksonville. He quickly recognized what my expression meant and corrected himself. "I meant your first flight in your new 'life'. Trade seats with me and you'll see what I mean."

"It's a lot more interesting when you can see everything more clearly." Alice chimed in from behind us. She, too, had claimed the seat next to the window, with Jasper sitting beside her. It looked almost like he was uneasy and didn't like flying.

We swapped seats so that I was positioned at the window, though I was unsure of what he was trying to tell me. While I was moving I looked over the seat in front of me and saw Jacob and Renesmee both already asleep in their respective seats. Jacob hadn't been sleeping well over the past few days. He said he had been trying to work up the nerve to tell his pack that he was going to leave them, expecting them to be angry with him. Renesmee seemed to just prefer sleeping when Jacob did.

"Ladies and gentlemen this is your captain speaking..." I heard the pilot begin the message I'd heard all too many times before and tried to zone it out. I hadn't though about it before, but it was strange flying for the first time since I'd become a vampire. Everything seemed different after the change. Charlie still hadn't gotten past his "need to know" phase, and Renee was mostly left out of the loop, assuming that the rare illness that we told her I had acquired left my voice changed permanently. It still felt wrong to not tell her, to lie to her, but it seemed simpler to not let her know. Besides, it was probably safer that way as well.

Renesmee was growing at a very rapid rate, intellectually and physically. Edward had been teaching her music lessons, and she was already a very well practiced pianist. According to Nahuel's story, she would be fully grown in just a few more years. I knew that Jacob felt mostly like her brother at this point, but I knew that would change when she was fully grown. I still wasn't sure I was ready for that, for a romantic love between one of my best friends and my own daughter. I decided not to worry about it, though, as Rosalie would probably murder him for me if he did anything to hurt her.

The plane started moving towards the runway, and within a few minutes we were cleared for takeoff. As the plane began its flight and climbed higher into the sky, I immediately noticed what Alice and Edward were talking about. As a small child, I remember my first flight and saying something like "Everything looks like ants from up here!" The difference was that now, I could actually see the ants from up here. I could pick out people standing in front of their cars, talking. I was almost able to read their lips and keep up with the conversation. I was able to read the headlines of the newspapers that people were reading on benches in the park. A giddy smile slipped its way onto my face, and Alice giggled at my expression.

"It's great isn't it? Our sight really has almost no limitations. We're able to see as far as the moisture in the air will let us." Alice was almost singing, as if this was one of her favorite experiences.

I glanced back at her to watch her smile out of her window—she looked almost as giddy as I felt—and caught Jasper in my peripheral vision. He still looked very uneasy. I removed my mental shield and thought loudly, hoping Edward would hear me.

_Why is Jasper so uneasy? He looks almost like he's afraid we're going to plummet out of the sky at any second. _I noted with a frown, tossing my eyes back in his direction as Edward looked over at me.

"Crowded places make him uneasy." Edward's voice was a whisper that even I could barely hear. "He doesn't like flying because planes are very crowded, and they also happen to be full of nervous people. He flies anyways because he doesn't want to burden us with having to drive all the way to New Hampshire." He chuckled softly. Jasper didn't even seem to notice anything that was going on. He looked like he was going to make the headrest on Edward's seat explode due to his dedicated concentration.

It was difficult to imagine Jasper being uncomfortable in any situation, although if I had to pick one that might freak him out I suppose that an airplane flight would be near the top of my list. I contemplated his mood for a moment, and then noticed Renesmee turning over in her sleep. My beautiful baby, though she was hardly a baby anymore. She had grown so much in the past year that it was hard to believe. To be honest, I shouldn't be surprised by the growth rate of a half-human, half-vampire hybrid child. It's hard to put the word "strange" into perspective these days.

I turned to Edward when I noticed him staring at me. Sometimes I wish he wouldn't do this, it made me very suddenly self-conscious. "What, do I have something on my face?" I questioned, sounding more worried and agitated than was likely appropriate.

"No, you're fine. You're just so beautiful that I can't take my eyes off of you." He smiled and leaned in for a kiss. I accepted his lips with mine and shifted my whole body towards him to enjoy the moment. I ran my hands through his beautiful golden hair, clutching his face to mine.

"I can't believe you can still do this." I finally said as I broke away for a moment.

"Do what?"

"Dazzle me." I replied as I threw my weight back towards him, locking our lips together. I didn't want to draw too much attention to us on the plane, but the moment had sucked me in. I loved how physical love felt after becoming a vampire; it amplified my sexual senses as much as it amplified my vision. It was like feeling every touch with my whole body, every caress and kiss sending shock waves through my entire system.

We reluctantly separated, still gazing into each other's eyes. After being married to Edward for a full year I understood how Esme and Carlisle were able to love each other eternally. It was so easy, when we were both frozen in time, to understand the magnitude of the limitless time we had ahead of us, and to look forward to every breathtaking second of it.

I regained my composure and glanced out the window. We were about to break through the clouds, so I closed my window to be sure the sun's rays didn't catch my skin. I checked the windows in front of me and behind me and saw that the rest of the family had already done the same. I closed the window next to Jacob quietly to avoid waking him.

The rest of the plane ride was mostly uneventful. The worst we had to deal with was a crying child in the row to our left and Jacob's snoring, the latter of which was probably what prompted the child to cry in the first place. We landed softly in a relatively small airport in New Hampshire, and we all grabbed our carry-on bags to prepare to leave the plane.

"Time to wake up Renesmee." I said soothingly as I gently patted her shoulder. She opened her beautiful, deep brown eyes and let out an adorable yawn as she stretched her arms. "We've landed, and it's time to leave the airplane."

She placed her hand on my cheek and sent peaceful images of a car ride into a house in the woods through my head. I loved her special method of communication and never pressured her to talk —I would never make her do something she didn't want to do. Besides, her pictures were much clearer than words could ever be.

"That's right sweetheart, we're heading to our new home. Edward said it's just like the old house, but even more beautiful." As if that was possible, the Cullens' last residence was the most aesthetically pleasing house I've ever seen in my entire life. And, more importantly, it was home. It felt strange to be leaving my home behind after living there for only a year, but I understood why the family had to leave. You could only pretend to be an aging member of society for so long before people started to get suspicious of your lack of physical change.

"Time for a walk, dog." Rosalie shouted as she reached over the back of her seat and smacked Jacob on the head. Jacob suddenly shot straight up and looked around, his eyes finding Rosalie's laughing face very quickly. He growled at her, and sighed as he grabbed his belongings and walked into the aisle in between the rows of seats. Renesmee laughed as she watched the whole thing, her giggling waking her up quickly. I wasn't sure if Rosalie and Jacob still pestered each other to amuse Renesmee or if they really meant it, but at least they hadn't hurt each other yet. Not seriously, at least.

"Shut it, Blondie, or I'll turn you into a chew toy." He mumbled through his teeth.

Rosalie stuck her tongue out at Jacob and rubbed her hand on Renesmee's head, smiling at her. "How'd you sleep sweetie?" She asked smoothly. Renesmee responded by placing her hand softly on Rosalie's face for a few seconds, and then they smiled at each other.

Renesmee hopped out of her seat and landed on the floor in front of me, arms extended into the air as she waited for me to pick her up. I snatched her up off the floor and cradled her in my arms as we walked down the aisle to the exit of the plane.

We exited into the airport, and stopped to grab a little bit of food for Renesmee and Jacob—though calling it a "little bit" of food was a misnomer when Jacob was involved. She ate her small sandwich quickly, and he wolfed down his large plate of food just as fast. Once they were finished, we navigated our way to the car rental area of the airport and waited for Carlisle to rent a vehicle to get us to the house.

"I think we'll need a limo with a chauffeur for Blondie, since she likes to be the center of everyone's attention." Jacob whined as he rubbed his head. Apparently she hit him harder than I thought.

The man at the rental counter handed Carlisle two sets of keys, each of which allowed access to a completely average-looking van. We divided up into the two vans, loaded our luggage, and hit the road towards our new home. Edward was driving the van I was in, with Jacob, Renesmee, Alice, and Jasper all loaded up in the back seats.

"Is flying in a plane that bad, Jasper?" I asked him, sounding concerned. "We didn't have to fly, you know."

"I know." He responded, sounding tense and regretful. "But I don't like to burden the family. It's not exactly a short trip by car to drive all the way across the country. And it's not so bad. It's just hard to ignore the mood of the hundreds of people around me. Most people don't like flying, so they have a very nervous aura, and that just washes over me."

"I see. Sorry you had to deal with that." I felt bad for him, but that didn't last long. A more happy and excited mood washed over me suddenly, obviously a product of Jasper's ability.

We took small, country back-roads towards our destination, and I couldn't help admiring the beauty of the area we were in. As we wound through the small roads—traveling as quickly as the engines in the vans would allow us to—I stared out the window at the scenery. New Hampshire was definitely a very pretty place to be, and it all seemed less dreary than Forks. This last thought surprised me, since some parts of New Hampshire tended to be overcast even more often than in Forks.

The route we were taking lead us down several small paved roads before we finally turned down a one-lane dirt road into a small break in the forest on the right. I don't think I would ever be able to find that turn again, but I tried to memorize the location anyways. We drove down the surprisingly smooth dirt path for about a mile and reached a rather large, imposing steel gate, which opened which Edward punched a number into the keypad. They dirt drive curved slightly, and then opened up into a clearing, and I caught my first glimpse of the house.

We came in approaching what looked like the back of the house, which was comprised of a large glass wall overlooking a small creek that ran back into the forest. As we drove around to the right of the house, the dirt road ran into a small concrete landing at the bottom of a paved driveway. The floor we drove past included a massive garage with four doors, though the windows showed a surprising lack of vehicles inside. We continued up the paved driveway towards the front of the house. The front porch was huge, with large wooden pillars and a colossal archway at the top of the small set of stairs. The double doors that lead into the house were surrounded on both sides by huge windows that lined nearly the entire front wall of the house, allowing me to see some of the light interior. Three stories tall and visually impressive, it was clear that the Cullens didn't settle for anything other than extraordinary houses.

The driveway split off, one path leading into an opening in the thick trees on the other side of the clearing, and the other path winding off towards an outdoor garage. I understood immediately what Carlisle meant when he said that we had transportation already secured, as the structure was almost full of concept cars and other impossibly expensive vehicles. I didn't recognize any of them, though I would be surprised if I could recognize even some of the most common cars. We parked our vans in the only two spots remaining, the bland white vans clashing with the beautiful array of colorful machines around us.

We grabbed our bags and walked towards the house along a small concrete sidewalk that lead up to the front porch. "Do you like it?" Edward asked, smiling smugly.

"Are you kidding, it's incredible!" I exclaimed, though I felt like the expression on my face answered his question before my words could. I'm not sure how anyone could possibly dislike such a beautiful piece of architecture.

Carlisle inserted a key into the doorknob on the right door, twisting the handle and pushing the door open in one smooth motion. As we entered the house, I gasped in amazement. The front room held a large spiral staircase that wound its way towards a glass sunroof. The living room to the left felt very welcoming, the light colored furniture worked well with the wooden floor and wall paneling. The kitchen to the right was small, but opened into a dining room with a large, oblong table with chairs already circled around it. All of the lights in the house were off, but the natural light of the sun filtering in through the glass ceiling and windows was brightly lighting everything. The whole scene was picturesque.

"Well, Bella. This will be our home while we're here." Carlisle said as he looked around, seeming to be happy to be back in this house. "I'll let Edward show you around while we unload the luggage and get everything set up."

"Where's my room at?" Jacob asked, looking even more amazed at the house than I felt.

"You'll be staying in the dog-house outside, puppy." Rosalie said through a giggle. Everyone laughed at her quick quip, and Jacob rolled his eyes.

"Come, Bella. I'll show you to our room." Edward said in a calm voice. "And you too, Jacob. Bring Renesmee, You'll be in the room next to us." It was Edward's idea to let Jacob watch over Renesmee in their room. I didn't mind—I knew that having the only two people in the house that actually slept in the same room was the best idea—but I think Rosalie nearly had a cow when he told her.

We followed Edward up the beautiful spiral staircase to the second floor, Renesmee in Jacob's arms, and walked down a welcoming hallway to a set of doors on the right side at the very end.

"This one is yours, Jacob and Renesmee." Edward said as he opened the first door. The room was stocked with two large beds, some shelving, and had a partially ajar door that lead into a huge, walk-in closet. "Feel free to unload your belongings, Emmett's bringing them up behind us." Jacob's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree; it was clear that he'd never had such a nice place to stay before.

"And this one is ours, Bella." The way Edward spoke my name as he opened our door felt like smooth silk. I looked at him briefly, and then shifted my gaze into the room. This room was slightly larger than the first. It had a large bed, two nightstands, a dresser with a large flat-screen TV on top, and another gargantuan walk-in closet. "Alice picked this one for us because it had the biggest closet. She'll be bringing up your clothes in a few minutes and helping you organize your wardrobe." He smiled. Of course she would…

"So what's the plan now?" I asked him as I traced my fingers over his smooth, muscular chest.

"Well, we have a few minutes to spare, so let's not waste it talking." He responded as he pulled me closer. He wrapped his hands around my waste and pushed his lips against mine. Our mouths moved together in a fluid dance. He ran his hand up my back and ran his fingers through my hair and locked me in closer to him. Our bodies pressed together and my whole body felt the shock wave. I relaxed and let the feeling wash over me, letting my mind leave me as I fully embraced him.

We stayed in that moment until we heard someone clear her throat lightly behind us. I turned around to see Alice with several bags at her feet. "I thought you might want these, though I didn't mean to interrupt such an intense moment." She said in between giggles.

I tried to quickly regain my composure as best as I could. "Sorry, time to unload my clothes I take it?"

"Yep. And I'm finally going to teach you how to properly use your large wardrobe this time. Not that what you brought with you is particularly large, we'll need to go shopping this weekend to remedy that situation." She had a vicious light in her eye that told me that we'd be spending an entire day at the nearest mall, spending a small fortune on designer clothing. I shuddered at the thought.

"Alright, I guess. Let's get settled in with what we have first though."

"So, Bella." Edward interrupted, "Are you happy with our new home?"

I grinned as I glanced around our room. When he called this our home, it finally all fell into place for me, and a feeling of relief washed over me. This was home, and we were finally here. "You can't even imagine how happy I am, Edward." I said as I pressed my lips into his to steal one more quick kiss.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Alice finished helping me unpack my various belongings, especially those that belonged in my closet. She was going through my last bag when she found my camera.

"Bella, let's go take pictures of the house for Charlie." She chimed as she pointed my camera at me and snapped a quick picture. I wasn't even aware that I had packed it.

"Better yet," Edward began, sliding into view behind Alice and snatching the camera from her hands. "Let's go visit the Dartmouth campus and take our pictures there." He smiled at me, looking over Alice's shoulder. He wasn't able to see her eyes suddenly go blank, the telltale sign that she was receiving a vision.

"That sounds like a great idea, Edward." Alice said, quickly recovering before Edward could catch on or read her thoughts. "Let's go now, the weather tonight will clear up and we won't be able to stay there for long." Perhaps her vision was less interesting that I had imagined, and was merely a weather forecast.

"I'd love to go see the campus, I've never even set foot on any college campus before. I'm sure Charlie would love to see proof that I'm finally doing something responsible with my life." I noted sarcastically. I tended to be the most responsible person in my family, so this wasn't exactly a first.

We shuffled out of the room and walked towards the stairs. I stopped at Renesmee's room before we departed to ask Jacob to keep an eye on her while we were gone.

"Sure thing, Bella." Jacob said absentmindedly as he moved his chess piece across the board. It looked like a very close game. "Just do me a favor and never teach this girl how to play chess. She's already whooping up on me pretty badly and she's never had a single lesson!" Apparently I was wrong about the game being close, because as he said that Renesmee captured one of his rooks with a knight. He sighed and resumed his deep concentration.

Feeling more comfortable leaving Renesmee at the house, we ran down the spiral staircase and waited for Alice to go get Jasper. We were the only four in the family attending school. Carlisle had already arranged employment with a local hospital, making sure not to work at the same hospital that employed him on his last stay at this house. Esme would continue her work as a free-lancing architect from the new house, using a large office on the third floor as her staging ground for new projects. Rosalie and Emmett both got jobs working as park rangers in the nearby national forest reservation. Their goal was to help the family decide when to hunt and what animals to go after.

Alice came down the stairs just moments later, Jasper right on her heels. "We're set to go. Let's take my Lambo, it won't look out of place mixed in with the other rich-kid's cars at this school." Jasper noted with a smug smile. I could tell that he knew his car would turn heads no matter where he was driving it.

We left the house and walked to the garage and piled into Jasper's beautiful silver Lamborghini Estoque. He explained that it was one of only a few dozen in existence, but refused to tell me how he got it. We backed out of the garage through the area where the vans just were—the other four Cullens just left to return them and pick up the rest of our expensive vehicle collection—and drove off down the paved driveway this time. Just a few hundred yards into the woods there was another steel gate that opened automatically as we approached it from the inside. The paved road winded towards a break in the woods up ahead, and we turned onto what looked like a state highway.

A short while later we approached the Dartmouth campus. Jasper pulled into the parking lot and made sure his car was in a very visible location.

"Follow me, guys." Alice said as we exited the car. Jasper locked it behind us. "Let's go to the biology department first to show Bella where her classes will be."

We obeyed her orders and remained close on her heels as she lead us through the massive campus. Once we were nearing the biology buildings, she abruptly came to a stop.

"Hold on for a moment." Her eyes were closed, her thoughts concentrating on a vision she was receiving. We waited for a few moments until, on the edge of my peripheral vision, I noticed a pair of bright golden eyes staring at us through a window. Just as soon as I had seen them, they disappeared, and Alice woke up from her trance. "Alright, now we wait. He'll be coming by here any minute now."

"Who is 'he'?" Jasper asked, sounding concerned.

"Another like us. Here he is." She responded.

As if her voice was his cue, a short, older looking man appeared as if out of thin air.

"Before you all do anything else, I'd like to have a word with you in my office." He said softly in a stern voice.

"Of course, professor." Alice said calmly and motioned for us to follow him. I glanced at Jasper, who looked utterly confused, but Edward seemed to have a better idea what was going on. This seemed dangerous, but I trusted Alice's judgment.

We followed the man to his office in the biology building. He locked the door behind us and closed his blinds before taking a seat behind his desk. He took a moment to look us over, so I did the same. The man was very short, maybe just over five feet tall. He had bright golden eyes, starch white skin, and long flowing silver hair. Even in his old age, he was an attractive man. I could tell just by looking at him that he was one of us.

"I'm sure you are all curious about who I am and why I've asked to speak to you." The man started. Edward nodded in agreement. He continued, "Well then, I suppose I should start from the beginning. My name is Dr. Percy Miller, and I'm a professor of biochemistry here at the university. As I'm sure you can tell, we are much the same. Judging by your goldenrod irises, you must abstain from human blood as well, correct?"

"Yes, Dr. Miller." Edward replied. "My father is a skilled doctor, so he usually becomes a prominent member of any nearby community. To remain undetected we hunt only animals. We just moved into the area, a permanent residence. We'll be staying here for at least as long as it takes us to go through college."

The professor smiled. "Please, call me Percy. Also, if I may inquire, what are all of your names?"

"Pardon me for being rude. I'm Edward Cullen, this is my brother Jasper Hale, my sister Alice Cullen, and my wife Bella Swan." He motioned to each of us as he mentioned our names.

"Nice to meet you all." He said politely as he bowed his head. "Now, you mentioned that your father is a doctor. We have more in common than I initially thought—I am also a doctor—but I use the abilities of this second life to assist my skills."

"Abilities." I said, confused. "You mean you have a special power, like us?"

"Yes. I could explain my abilities directly, but it would make more sense to tell you the story of how I acquired them. Would you care to listen?"

"Of course." Alice chimed in. "We're in no rush, and I'm curious about what you can do."

"In that case," Percy started, before taking a deep breath and continuing. "Let's start from the beginning. Before I was changed in the early 1800s, I was an incredible doctor, one of the best in New England. In my 20 years of medical practice, I had never lost a patient, which was unheard of at the time. I had made quite the name for myself.

"One rainy night, as I was riding home from a house call, I saw a man writhing in pain in the street calling for a doctor. I picked him up and placed him into my carriage and took him straight back to my house. During the whole ride he was screaming for help, asking for someone to put out the fire that burned inside his body. I placed the man on a spare bed I kept in my study and asked him where he felt the pain. At this point he was beyond being capable of speech, and merely writhed and screamed in agony.

"I tried every medicine and remedy known to man, but the stranger would not recover from his condition. I grabbed my thermometer off of my desk and placed it in the man's mouth, but when I went to retrieve it he bit my hand.

"I wasn't immediately concerned by the bite, for I had been bitten by patients many times. As I went to go place a bandage on my finger, however, I noticed that my hand felt like it was on fire. The intense burn traveled up my arm and eventually reached my heart, where it quickly spread throughout my body. I collapsed and joined the stranger in his agony.

"I couldn't say for how long I was screaming and burning, but when it all finally stopped the man on my bed had left, leaving behind no trace of his existence. My throat started to burn a dull ache, and my senses were suddenly much sharper. I rushed to my book collection to try to figure out what had happened. No book in my entire study had any description of the horrors I'd just faced.

"Just a few hours after my agony ended, my closest friend knocked on my door. I'm not sure what he wanted, I can only assume that the neighbors alerted him to my screaming and asked him to determine my condition. I never gave him the chance to explain himself, as I killed him where he stood before I could even understand my actions. My thoughts just vanished, allowing my new instincts to take over.

"My consciousness came back while I was still gnawing on his neck, sucking out his life force. I was terrified at what I had done, and at the same instant knew exactly what I had become. I fled the city immediately, wandering aimlessly into the night.

"By the time a week had passed, I had wandered all the way to Georgia, where I stumbled across a farm in the middle of the night. My thirst was an intense burn by now, so I slaughtered and drank the blood of a pig. To my relief, it sated my hunger nearly as much as the blood of my dearest friend. I disposed of the body, and was about to leave the farm when I heard a scream come from the farm house.

"I ran into the house as fast as I could, and found a young woman who had fallen down a flight of stairs and broken her leg. It was difficult to resist such weak prey in my newborn state, but I held my breath as I rushed to her side. I assured the family that I was a traveling doctor and that I could help them. I set the bone into place and stabilized it with my hands. I asked her father if he could bring me a dowel and some bandages, but the girl told me that she didn't think that would be necessary. As if a miracle had been performed in front of my eyes, I watched the girl stand up on her own accord and jump up and down on the leg that was just broken. I was completely and utterly confused. The family assumed that I was practicing magic and threatened to shoot me. I left quickly, still unsure of what had happened.

"It wasn't until later that I came to the conclusion that I had a special ability to accelerate biological processes. I had caused her leg to heal in mere moments instead of over the course of months. I immediately vowed to dedicate my new life to saving people who were greatly injured, and I've practiced medicine in cities all over the country ever since." He concluded, with a lighter tone.

"So you're able to instantly heal the sick and injured?" Jasper questioned.

"Not quite, but if their wounds are capable of healing, or their immune system able to repel the disease, I can only accelerate the natural healing and recovery processes. I will never be able to, for example, turn a mass of human flesh back into a fully formed person, because that wouldn't happen naturally over time." He laughed at his own ridiculous example.

"That is quite the talent." Edward said, sounding impressed. "Would you like to come and meet our family? It will be nice for us to know another of our kind, and I'm sure Carlisle would like to meet you and hear your story."

"I would love to." Percy said with a smile. I realized that we might be the first family of "vegetarian" vampires that he had ever met.

Percy packed his briefcase and lead us out of the biology building. We meandered in the direction of Jasper's car.

"So now that I have told you my special talent, would you be offended if I asked what yours were?" Percy asked, being sensitive to our privacy.

"Not at all." Alice noted cheerfully. "My ability is precognition. I can see the future before it happens, but as people's decisions change, so does the future. It tends to be inexact, but it lead me to you today."

"I can feel and affect the physical moods of those around me." Jasper said. As the words came out of his mouth, I felt my emotions take a roller coaster ride.

"Please don't do that again, Jasper." Edward requested calmly. "I can hear other people's minds. Both a blessing and a curse, depending on how crowded of a place you are in." He chuckled at his own joke. "And last but not least..." He motioned to me.

"I have a mental shield, making me immune to any vampire ability that affects the mind. I can project it to shield others as well, though that takes effort." I said, being only partially truthful. It was laughably easy to project my shield after all of the practice and training I've had recently.

"What a talented bunch." Percy said, clearly amazed. "Imagine the odds of finding a group so deeply resembling myself. Your family has a doctor, you don't hunt humans, and you have several impressive abilities. This is all rather convenient to have fallen into my lap like this, though I suppose you helped to bring us together." He motioned to Alice with that last statement. She smiled, seeming excessively proud of herself.

"Here's our ride." Jasper said proudly, unlocking his car as we approached. I saw Percy's jaw drop.

"I thought you said you liked to fit in, not stand out!" He exclaimed, confused.

"We all like having expensive toys." Edward noted through a smile.

We all piled into the car and drove back to the house mostly in silence. Jasper parked his Lambo back in the garage and walked towards the house. Carlisle was standing at the door, waiting for us.

"Who is your new friend?" He asked with a laugh as we ascended the steps to the porch.

"This is quite possibly," Edward started, as Percy walked up to shake Carlisle's hand. "The only doctor in the entire world better than you are."


	4. Chapter 3

**Author's Note**

While I know that I said not to expect this to update frequently, I didn't mean to let it fall off of my schedule for this long. I had a very busy week and I apologize for that. This chapter was originally intended to be a lot more story-intensive, but in the interest of having more material for the next few chapters I cut it a tad bit short. I had just covered too much information in too little space for my liking. =P

Anyways, this is a much shorter chapter as a result, which I also apologize for. To compensate, I should have another chapter posted sometime tomorrow, so keep your eyes open for that.

**Chapter 3**

Over the next two weeks, Percy and our family became very close. It was obvious that Percy wasn't used to having friends. He visited our house almost every day, swapping stories with Carlisle and the others. He even quickly accepted Jacob the shape-shifter and Renesmee the hybrid, surprisingly enough. We told him the story of how the Volturi was sent to our house to kill my daughter, and was surprised that such a powerful council of vampire leaders even existed. He must not have seen many others of our kind, or at least not very often.

We invited him to take a hunting trip with us, going out to the part of the National Forest area that Rosalie and Emmett had laid aside for us. He accepted our offer, and we left our house in the late evening.

"I bet I can bag a bigger bear than you can, Nessie." Jacob taunted as we ran through the woods towards our new hunting grounds. He seemed much less tense to be out in the wild, away from the rest of the family—especially Rosalie. It was nice to be out of the house for the first time since we've been here. It was hard to believe that we've been out of Forks for almost a full week.

"Nuh-uh!" She shouted back. Jacob morphed into his wolf form and motioned for her to jump on his back. She ran ahead of him and bounded towards a tree, kicking away from it and landing softly on Jacob's shoulders. She gripped his fur tightly and leaned forward into the wind. Her bronze hair billowed behind her, glowing brightly in comparison to Jacob's dark fur. She was truly a beautiful creature—Rosalie might be jealous when she was fully-grown.

"This way, everybody. Emmett's markers lead towards that stream." Edward said as he pointed towards the creek. We all leapt over the stream with ease. I looked back to make sure our guest was still with us.

"Hanging in there, Percy?" I called back at our professor.

"Of course," He started, looking disgruntled. "Just because I was nearly 50 when I was changed doesn't mean that I can't keep up." He sped up noticeably as he finished his sentence, as if to prove his point. His run appeared to take much more effort than any of ours. Whether this was a symptom of his physical age or his height, I wasn't sure.

We sprinted through the forest to the safe area that Emmett and Rosalie had designated for us. With their positions as rangers, we were able to determine when and where our hunting efforts would best be used. Better yet, they could adjust any other ranger's observations so that the strange animal deaths would never get noticed. The best part of the deal was that because we live just outside of the forest area, they could do most of their reports at home, so there was never any real danger of them being spotted in the sun or otherwise exposed.

As we approached the area laid out for us, Renesmee jumped off of Jacob's back and sprinted ahead, eager to net a more impressive kill than he could. Jacob—obviously not trying to put up too much of a fight in their little competition—started chasing after a lone deer that had run away from us. I sprang up into the trees, Edward close on my heels, to get a better look at the surroundings. Percy had already snagged a deer and was taking care of the dirty work. I spotted a moose a few hundred yards away and began to slither through the trees towards my prize. I hopped delicately from branch to branch until I was directly above the poor creature. I leaned over the edge and let myself fall on top of it, my hands grabbing its antlers and snapping its neck in one smooth motion. I cleaned the corpse and, feeling rejuvenated, flew off to find the others.

Edward was the easiest to find, having finished his meal quickly and run back to the clearing where we had started. Percy also returned quickly, though his clothing was quite a bit messier than ours was.

"Found a small black bear." He explained, looking over his shredded shirt as he spoke. "Where are the others?"

"They're coming back now. Renesmee and Jacob shared a deer." Edward said, having seen their thoughts. Renesmee and Jacob worked well as a hunting pair, because he could eat the meat and bones of whatever kill she drained. Jacob poked his head out from behind a tree, trotting towards us with Renesmee bouncing up and down on his shoulders.

"She's way too fast for me, always bags the kills before I can even see something to chase." He said with a smile. He patted her on the leg as she beamed at us with a huge grin on her face. She was the cleanest killer of us all, never getting a drop of blood on her when she hunted.

"Well if you all don't mind, I'd like to go back to my house and change before I do anything else." The professor said, glancing over his tattered clothing.

"Would it be alright if Bella and I joined you?" Edward asked politely. I wanted to see Percy's house as well, so it didn't bother me that Edward volunteered me.

"Of course, feel free to come along. It's only fair, seeing as I've visited your house several times and you've never even seen mine." He responded excitedly, as if guests were a rarity at his domain.

"I'm going to take Nessie back home then, if you guys don't care. She's sleepy after her fresh catch." Jacob chimed in. Renesmee yawned as if on cue, letting out an adorable noise as she closed her mouth.

"That's fine. We'll see you when we get back to the house." Edward said as he walked over to her and rubbed his fingers through her soft hair. "Sleep well, Renesmee."

"Sleep tight, sweetie." I waved over to her. Jacob had already started jogging back towards the house.

"Alright, if we are where I think we are, then my house will be this way. Follow me." Percy noted as he contemplated his surroundings. We rushed off into the thick forest en route to his house.

We approached his house from the back through a clearing in the trees. It was a small house—almost proportional to Percy's size. It gave me the impression that, before he had met us, he was a loner. His back porch was cluttered with rustic decorations and several different chairs, though it was obvious that very few of them had seen use in a long time. The roof was littered with the leaves and branches of the trees that surrounded his house.

We climbed up the stairs to the deck and entered the shack through a sliding glass door. We came into the carpeted living area and the first thing that I noticed was the smell of the room. It was a very sterile smell, almost like I had walked into the lobby of a hospital. The worn cloth furniture was ripping apart at the seams, spewing bits of foam out of the stitching. I spotted a small bookcase against the opposite wall, sporting several modern titles such as the _Host_ by Stephanie Meyer and _State of Fear _by Michael Crichton. All of the books appeared to have been read. I would have to ask Percy to borrow parts of his collection.

In the corner of the room was a small fireplace, partitioned off from the rest of the room by a small glass pane. It contained charred wood that appeared to have been there for quite a long time. Above the fireplace was a small row of pictures resting atop the mantle. The photo that quickly caught my eye had Percy and a young woman in each other's arms, smiling happily. I wasn't able to tell immediately if it was a wife, daughter, or even just a close friend.

He instructed us to make ourselves comfortable while he swept off to his room to change clothes. We knew it was a gesture of kindness rather than an actual request—we didn't need to sit to relax. I wandered over to the fireplace to get a closer look at his pictures.

The woman next to him in the photograph was beautiful beyond reason. She had flowing brown hair that billowed down around her shoulders and landed softly around her elbows. Her face had soft features; no individual part immediately drew your attention away from the whole. I could see the comfort in her eyes, her honest complacency being held by the man to her left. I knew at once that this woman was Percy's wife.

If that was the case, where was she now? My curiosity suddenly overwhelmed me as Percy stepped out of his room.

"Is this woman your wife?" I inquired.

Percy grimaced. "She was. I'd rather not talk about it right now, if you don't mind. That wound is still fresh." He lowered his gaze to the floor as he spoke. I instantly wished I could have taken back my question.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know-" I started.

"No, it's fine. I can't have expected you to. Don't worry about it, really." He calmly responded. "Anyways, I've really got to grade some assignments tonight. Do you need me to show you back to your place?"

"No, I know where it is." Edward replied.

"Well in that case, have a nice night." With these last words, Percy walked over to his office and locked himself in.

Edward and I left his house and started to walk slowly back home, enjoying the scenery along the way. I wanted to know what happened to Percy's wife, but I knew that Edward would not tell me and I did not dare ask Percy again. I would have to be ignorant for now. We spent the rest of the trip in silence.

When we arrived home, Jacob had already put Renesmee to bed. They were both sound asleep in their room, the snoring rattling the door on its hinges. I walked into our room and threw myself onto the bed, frustrated at my own lack of tact. Sometimes I wished my super power were to be incredibly good at picking the right thing to say.

"It really isn't your fault, you know." Edward said, attempting to make me feel better. It didn't help.

"I don't care if it was my fault or not, I'm still going to feel bad about asking." I sat up as I replied. "I should have known. I mean, it was just so obvious. He had a picture of him with some woman in a house where he lives alone. I should have guessed that she had passed."

"Seriously, Bella, don't sweat it. I tried not to be too intrusive, but I caught a glimpse of his thoughts when you asked him if that was his wife. He wasn't hurt by your question. He seemed like he felt guilty or embarrassed, though I couldn't really tell which."

Knowing this helped slightly, but only just. I now felt more confused than before, but less angry with myself. It was an interested trade-off.

Edward noticed my change in emotion. "I really can't tell you any more than that, it's all I know." He sat down on the bed next to me. "I really am lucky to still have you. So many times I thought you were gone. I thought I had lost myself. My purpose. But I still have you." He leaned down and stole a quick kiss.

"You'll always have me, Edward. Nothing will ever tear us apart." I breathed. His lips found their way back to mine, and we embraced each other. All of my worries were suddenly washed away in that moment, leaving my full attention to feel my emotions flood into me.

He pulled his body closer into me. I locked my hands behind his head, snaking my fingers through his soft hair. His hands flowed fluidly across my body, stopping only when they had reached the buttons on my shirt. He removed it quickly, tossing it across the room carelessly. I threw myself into him, and we collapsed onto the bed. I let my carnal desires take control of my body, pulling me into the night with my love in my arms.


End file.
